Turbo machine

ABSTRACT

A turbo machine includes an impeller that rotates to make gas flow, a driving device that rotationally drives the impeller, a rotary shaft that transmits a rotational driving force of the driving device to the impeller, a bearing that rotatably supports the rotary shaft, and a casing that houses at least the driving device and the rotary shaft. In addition, the casing is provided with a grease flow path to supply grease to the bearing for lubricating the bearing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a turbo machine. Priority is claimed onJapanese Patent Application No. 2010-138358, filed Jun. 17, 2010, thecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference.

2. Description of Related Art

In the related art, a turbo machine such as a turbo blower which makesgas flow has been used. The above-described turbo machine includes animpeller (a rotary vane) that rotates to make gas flow, a motor or thelike (a driving device) that rotationally drives the impeller, and arotary shaft that transmits a rotational driving force of the motor tothe impeller. The impeller, the motor and the rotary shaft are housed ina casing which forms the outline of the turbo machine. The rotary shaftis rotatably supported via a bearing (for example, a rolling bearing)installed in the casing.

In order to maintain smooth rotation of the rotary shaft, lubricant oilis supplied to the bearing. In addition, as described in Japanese PatentApplication, First Publication No. H6-216437, “grease lubrication” inwhich grease is supplied to the bearing is used due to the fact that atank for storing lubricant oil can be small and the labor of themaintenance can be reduced, or the like.

Grease is a lubricant agent which becomes a semi-solid by dispersing athickening material in lubricant oil serving as an oil base. As themethod of the grease lubrication, for example, there is a method inwhich a grease supply device is installed in the turbo machine andgrease is supplied at regular time intervals.

Generally, the bearing and the grease supply device are connected by asupply tube for supplying the grease.

However, in a case where the supply tube is provided to supply grease tothe bearing, an operation for disposing and connecting the supply tubeis needed at the time of manufacture or maintenance of the turbomachine, and there is a possibility that the labor involved in theassembly of the turbo machine will be increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is made in consideration of the above-describedcircumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide aturbo machine capable of reducing assembly labor at the time ofmanufacture or maintenance of the turbo machine.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aturbo machine including: an impeller that rotates to make gas flow; adriving device that rotationally drives the impeller; a rotary shaftthat transmits a rotational driving force of the driving device to theimpeller; a bearing that rotatably supports the rotary shaft; and acasing that houses at least the driving device and the rotary shaft. Inaddition, the casing is provided with a grease flow path to supplygrease to the bearing for lubricating the bearing.

At the time of manufacture or maintenance of the turbo machine, anassembly operation is performed for assembling the impeller, the drivingdevice, the rotary shaft, the bearing, the casing, or the like. At thistime, when a supply tube, or the like for supplying grease to thebearing is used in the casing of the turbo machine, an operation fordisposing and connecting the supply tube is needed, and there is apossibility that the labor involved in the assembly of the turbo machinewill be increased. However, according to the present invention, thegrease flow path for supplying grease to the bearing is formed in thecasing. Therefore, in the assembly operation of the turbo machine, apredetermined amount of grease is filled in the grease flow path formedin the casing, the rotary shaft or the bearing, and the like issequentially installed to the casing, and the assembly operation of theturbo machine is completed. That is, an operation for disposing andconnecting the supply tube, which is needed in the related art, is notnecessary.

In this case, the casing may include a casing body that houses at leastthe driving device and the rotary shaft, and a bearing supporting memberthat is detachably installed in the casing body and supports thebearing. Further, the casing body may be provided with a first flow paththat forms a portion of the grease flow path, and the bearing supportingmember may be provided with a second flow path that forms a portion ofthe grease flow path and communicates with the first flow path.

In this case, a direction in which the first flow path and the secondflow path communicate with each other may be the same as a direction inwhich the bearing supporting member is attached and detached.

In this case, the bearing supporting member may be provided with acircular flow path that is circularly disposed around the rotationalaxis of the rotary shaft, and the circular flow path may form a portionof the second flow path and be disposed so as to communicate with thefirst flow path.

In this case, the bearing supporting member may include a grease storingportion for storing grease which is discharged from the bearing.

According to the present invention, in the assembly operation of theturbo machine, an operation for disposing and connecting the supply tubein the casing is not necessary. Therefore, according to the presentinvention, assembly labor can be reduced at the time of manufacture ormaintenance of the turbo machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-section view showing a schematic configuration of theturbo blower according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-section view showing a schematicconfiguration of the turbo blower according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section view showing the module in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view as viewed from the arrow B of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6A is a plan view showing the grease receiving saucer according tothe first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a cross-section view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view showing a schematic configuration of theturbo blower according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to FIGS. 1 to 7. In addition, scales in drawings of thedescription below are appropriately changed so as to enlarge therespective members for identification.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a cross-section view showing a schematic configuration of aturbo blower S1 according to this embodiment.

The turbo blower S1 is a turbo machine which compresses gas introducedfrom the outside and makes the gas flow. For example, the turbo blowerS1 is used in a gas laser apparatus (a carbon dioxide laser apparatus orthe like). The turbo blower S1 which is used in the gas laser apparatusis employed so as to make laser gas which is a medium of gas laser flowtoward a laser oscillator.

The turbo blower S1 includes an impeller 1, a motor 2 (a drivingdevice), a rotary shaft 3, a bearing 4, a casing 5 and a grease supplydevice 6. In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 3, the direction of an axis of therotary shaft 3 is given as the vertical direction, and the side on whichthe impeller 1 is provided is given as the upper side.

The impeller 1 is a rotary vane which rotates to make gas flow.Moreover, when the impeller 1 is rotated, the impeller 1 suctions gasfrom the one side in the direction of the rotational axis of theimpeller 1, and discharges the suctioned gas to the outside in theradial direction.

The motor 2 is a driving device for generating a driving force so as torotate the impeller 1. In this embodiment, the motor 2 is an inductionmotor, and includes a rotor 21 that has a core (an iron core) formed asa cage-form, and a stator 22 that has a winding wire which is providedto enclose the rotor 21. When power is supplied to the stator 22, therotor 21 is rotated. That is, when power is supplied, the stator 22provides a rotational driving force to the rotor 21. Moreover, the motor2 may be a motor other than the induction motor. Further, a drivingdevice other than the motor may be used.

The rotary shaft 3 is a shaft member for transmitting the rotationaldriving force of the motor 2 to the impeller 1. The rotary shaft 3 isprovided so as to extend in the vertical direction. In addition, therotary shaft 3 is fixed to the rotor 21 so as to pass through the rotor21. Further, the impeller 1 is fixed to the upper end portion of therotary shaft 3. As a method in which the rotary shaft 3 and the impeller1 are fixed to each other, fastening by using a fastening member orwelding is exemplified.

The bearing 4 rotatably supports the rotary shaft 3. The bearing 4 isinstalled in the casing 5. That is, the rotary shaft 3 is rotatablysupported by the casing 5 via the bearing 4. The bearing 4 is a rollingbearing, and more specifically, is an angular contact ball bearing.Further, the bearing 4 is not limited to the angular contact ballbearing, and may be any bearing, such as a deep-groove ball bearing or atapered roller bearing, which can support both a radial load and athrust load.

In this embodiment, an upper bearing 41 (a bearing) and a lower bearing42 (a bearing) are used as the bearing 4. The upper bearing 41 supportsthe upper end portion of the rotary shaft 3, that is, the end portion ofthe impeller 1 side. The lower bearing 42 supports the lower end portionof the rotary shaft 3, that is, the end portion of the side which isopposite to the impeller 1. In this embodiment, grease is supplied tothe upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42. The grease maintainssmooth rotation of the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42.

The casing 5 forms the outline of the turbo blower S1, and houses theimpeller 1, the motor 2 and the rotary shaft 3. The casing 5 includes ascroll casing 51, a casing body 52, an upper bearing supporting member53 (a bearing supporting member), and a lower bearing supporting member54 (a bearing supporting member).

The scroll casing 51 is provided to enclose the impeller 1. In thescroll casing 51, an intake 51 a, a diffuser 51 b and a scroll chamber51 c are formed.

In the intake 51 a, gas is introduced toward the impeller 1. Thediffuser 51 b is circularly formed so as to enclose the impeller 1, andis a flow path in which gas discharged by the impeller 1 rotating isintroduced. Gas introduced in the diffuser 51 b is compressed, and itspressure is increased. The scroll chamber 51 c is circularly formed soas to enclose the impeller 1, and is a flow path which is provided tocommunicate with the diffuser 51 b. In the scroll chamber 51 c, adischarge opening (not shown) is provided. The gas discharged by theimpeller 1 rotating is supplied to the outside of the casing 5 from thedischarge opening via the diffuser 51 b and the scroll chamber 51 c.

The casing body 52 houses the motor 2 and the rotary shaft 3. The casingbody 52 includes a motor casing 55 and a base plate 56.

The motor casing 55 houses the motor 2. The above-described scrollcasing 51 is detachably connected to the motor casing 55 by using afastening bolt, or the like. In the motor casing 55, a connector 55 a, awater-cooling jacket 55 b and a suction opening 55 c are formed. Thestator 22 is fixed to the motor casing 55.

The connector 55 a is employed for connecting a power cable (not shown)so as to supply power to the motor 2. Further, the connector 55 a andthe stator 22 are electrically connected to each other by a wire. Inaddition, when the turbo blower S1 is used in the gas laser apparatus,or the like, since it is necessary to form the casing 5 as a sealedstructure, a hermetic connector is employed as the connector 55 a so asto seal the connecting portion with the power cable.

The water-cooling jacket 55 b cools the motor 2. The water-coolingjacket 55 b is provided to enclose the motor 2 around the rotationalaxis of the rotary shaft 3.

The suction opening 55 c is an opening which is formed so as topenetrate the motor casing 55. A suction device (not shown) forsuctioning an internal space in which the motor 2 is installed isconnected to the suction opening 55 c. Through the suction of thesuctioning device, gas flow is generated from the scroll casing 51toward the motor casing 55 via the upper bearing 41. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent lubricant oil supplied to the upper bearing 41 orthe like from flowing into the scroll casing 51 due to volatilization ofthe lubricant oil.

The base plate 56 is fixed to the lower portion of the motor casing 55by using a fastening bolt or the like, and is employed as a base portionof the turbo blower S1. In addition, in this embodiment, the motorcasing 55 and the base plate 56 are configured as a separate member, butthe present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the casing body52 may be formed in one body.

The upper bearing supporting member 53 supports the upper bearing 41.The upper bearing supporting member 53 is detachably installed in themotor casing 55 of the casing body 52 by using the fastening bolt, orthe like. That is, the upper bearing 41 is installed in the upperbearing supporting member 53. In addition, the upper bearing supportingmember 53 is installed in a recess 55 d formed in the motor casing 55.

The upper bearing supporting member 53 is provided between a place inwhich the impeller 1 in the scroll casing 51 is installed and a place inwhich the motor 2 in the motor casing 55 is installed. The upper bearingsupporting member 53 is a member which is formed as a disk-shape. Thedirection in which the upper bearing supporting member 53 is attached toand detached from the motor casing 55 is the same as the verticaldirection. The rotary shaft 3 passes through a center portion of theupper bearing supporting member 53 so as to form a gap between therotary shaft 3 and the center portion, and the upper bearing 41 is alsoinstalled in the center portion of the upper bearing supporting member53.

The lower bearing supporting member 54 supports the lower bearing 42.The lower bearing supporting member 54 is detachably installed in thebase plate 56 of the casing body 52. That is, the lower bearing 42 isinstalled in the lower bearing supporting member 54. Further, the lowerbearing supporting member 54 is installed in a recess 56 a which isformed in the base plate 56.

The lower bearing supporting member 54 is a member which is formed as acylindrical shape having a base, and a space 54 a (a grease storingportion) is formed in the inside of the lower bearing supporting member54. The lower end portion of the rotary shaft 3 is inserted in andprovided at the space 54 a via an upper opening of the lower bearingsupporting member 54. In addition, the lower bearing 42 is installed inthe vicinity of the upper opening of the lower bearing supporting member54. Further, the space 54 a becomes a storing portion in which thegrease discharged from the lower bearing 42 is stored. The direction inwhich the lower bearing supporting member 54 is attached to and detachedfrom the base plate 56 is the same as the vertical direction.

A pre-compression spring 54 b, which biases the lower bearing 42 towardthe upside, is provided at the space 54 a of the lower bearingsupporting member 54. In addition, the lower bearing 42 is connected tothe upper bearing 41 via the rotary shaft 3. Therefore, the biasingforce toward the upside of the pre-compression spring 54 b istransmitted to not only the lower bearing 42 but also the upper bearing41, and the biasing force (that is, pre-load) of the vertical directionis applied to the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42. Since theupper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42 are angular contact ballbearings and the pre-load is appropriately applied to the verticaldirection, a rolling element (a ball) is supported at an appropriateposition, and vibration or noise, and the like generated by the rotationis reduced.

The casing 5 is provided with an upper grease flow path 7 (a grease flowpath) to supply to the upper bearing 41, and a lower grease flow path 8(a grease flow path) to supply to the lower bearing 42.

The upper grease flow path 7 includes a first upper flow path 71 (afirst flow path) and a second upper flow path 72 (a second flow path).

The first upper flow path 71 is formed in the member which composes themotor casing 55 of the casing body 52.

The end portion of one side of the first upper flow path 71 is openedtoward the outside of the motor casing 55, and the end portion of theother side of the first upper flow path 71 is opened in the recess 55 d.

The second upper flow path 72 is formed in the member which composes theupper bearing supporting member 53. The end portion of one side of thesecond upper flow path 72 is opened toward the recess 55 d of the motorcasing 55, and the end portion of the other side of the second upperflow path 72 is connected to the upper bearing 41. In addition, the endportion of the one side of the second upper flow path 72 is provided ata position in which the second upper flow path 72 directly communicateswith the first upper flow path 71.

That is, since the first upper path flow 71 and the second upper pathflow 72 are formed, the grease supplied from the outside can be suppliedto the upper bearing 41.

The lower grease flow path 8 includes a first lower flow path 81 (afirst flow path) and a second lower flow path 82 (a second flow path).

The first lower flow path 81 is formed in the member which composes thebase plate 56 of the casing body 52. The end portion of one side of thefirst lower flow path 81 is opened toward the outside of the base plate56, and the end portion of the other side of the first lower flow path81 is opened in the recess 56 a.

The second lower flow path 82 is formed in the member which composes thelower bearing supporting member 54. The end portion of one side of thesecond lower flow path 82 is opened toward the recess 56 a of the baseplate 56, and the end portion of the other side of the second lower flowpath 82 is connected to the lower bearing 42. In addition, the endportion of the one side of the second lower flow path 82 is provided ata position in which the second lower flow path 82 directly communicateswith the first lower flow path 81.

That is, since the first lower flow path 81 and the second lower flowpath 82 are formed, the grease supplied from the outside can be suppliedto the lower bearing 42.

The grease supply device 6 is installed in the outside of the casing 5,and supplies grease to the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42. Apair of syringes 61 filled with grease is housed in the inside of thegrease supply device 6. Further, a driving device (not shown) fordriving the syringes 61 is provided at the inside of the grease supplydevice 6. The syringes 61 are driven by operating the driving device,and the grease in the syringes 61 can be supplied.

A first supply tube 62 and a second supply tube 63 are each connected tothe pair of syringes 61. One syringe 61 and the first upper flow path 71of the motor casing 55 are connected to each other by the first supplytube 62. In addition, the other syringe 61 and the first lower flow path81 of the base plate 56 are connected to each other by the second supplytube 63. That is, through operation of the grease supply device 6, it ispossible to supply grease to the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing42 in the turbo blower S1.

Next, an exploded configuration of the turbo blower S1 will be describedin more detail. FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-section view showing aschematic configuration of the turbo blower S1 according to thisembodiment.

As described above, the upper bearing supporting member 53 and the lowerbearing supporting member 54 are detachably installed in the casing body52. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the impeller 1, the rotor 21 andthe rotary shaft 3 are integrally fixed to one another, and the rotaryshaft 3 is rotatably supported by the upper bearing supporting member 53and the lower bearing supporting member 54 via the upper bearing 41 andthe lower bearing 42. Therefore, the impeller 1, the rotor 21, therotary shaft 3, the upper bearing 41, the lower bearing 42, the upperbearing supporting member 53 and the lower bearing supporting member 54are integrally assembled and configured as a module 9. That is, in thisembodiment, the upper bearing supporting member 53, the lower bearingsupporting member 54, the impeller 1 and the rotor 21 are attached tothe rotary shaft 3, and in this state they can be attached to anddetached from the casing body 52.

For example, at the time of the maintenance of the turbo blower S1,simply by separating the scroll casing 51 from the casing body 52 anddetaching a fastening bolt or the like by which the upper bearingsupporting member 53 is fixed to the casing body 52, it is possible toseparate the module 9 from the casing body 52. That is, the module 9 isdetachably installed to the casing body 52.

In addition, the directions in which the upper bearing supporting member53 and the lower bearing supporting member 54 are attached to anddetached from the casing body 52 are the same as the vertical direction.Therefore, the direction in which the module 9 is attached to anddetached from the casing body 52 is the same as the vertical direction.

The direction in which the first upper flow path 71 communicates withthe second upper flow path 72 is the same as the vertical direction.Therefore, the direction in which the first upper flow path 71communicates with the second upper flow path 72 is the same as thedirection in which the upper bearing supporting member 53 is attached toand detached from the casing body 52. As a result, simply by installingthe upper bearing supporting member 53 in the casing body 52, the firstupper flow path 71 communicates with the second upper flow path 72, andthe upper grease flow path 7 is formed. In addition, a positioningmember (not shown) or the like, which is for positioning the first upperflow path 71 and the second upper flow path 72 in a position in whichthese two flow paths communicate with each other, may be providedbetween the casing body 52 and the upper bearing supporting member 53.

The direction in which the first lower flow path 81 communicates withthe second lower flow path 82 is the same as the vertical direction.Therefore, the direction in which the first lower flow path 81communicates with the second lower flow path 82 is the same as thedirection in which the lower bearing supporting member 54 is attached toand detached from the casing body 52. As a result, simply by installingthe lower bearing supporting member 54 in the casing body 52, the firstlower flow path 81 communicates with the second lower flow path 82, andthe lower grease flow path 8 is formed.

In addition, a seal member (not shown) which is provided to enclose theplace in which the first upper flow path 71 communicates with the secondupper flow path 72, and sandwiched between the upper bearing supportingmember 53 and the motor casing 55, may be disposed. Similarly, a sealmember (not shown) which is provided to enclose the place in which thefirst lower flow path 81 communicates with the second lower flow path82, and sandwiched between the lower bearing supporting member 54 andthe base plate 56, may be disposed. Therefore, by disposing theabove-described seal members, it is possible to prevent leakage ofgrease in the communication places.

Subsequently, in this embodiment, the module 9 will be described in moredetail. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section view showing the module 9 inFIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a cross-section view taken along the line A-A of FIG.3, FIG. 5 is a view as viewed from the arrow B of FIG. 3, FIG. 6A is aplan view showing the grease receiving saucer 57 according to thisembodiment, and FIG. 6B is a cross-section view taken along the line C-Cof FIG. 6A.

As shown in FIG. 3, an outer circumferential flow path 72 a of the upperbearing 41 is formed in the member which composes the upper bearingsupporting member 53, and the outer circumferential flow path 72 a ofthe upper bearing 41 forms a portion of the second upper flow path 72and is provided at the outer circumference side of the upper bearing 41.As shown in FIG. 4, the outer circumferential flow path 72 a of theupper bearing 41 is circularly formed so as to enclose the upper bearing41. Therefore, grease supplied through the second upper flow path 72 issupplied over an entire circumference of the outside in the radialdirection of the upper bearing 41. In addition, a plurality ofthrough-holes 41 a, which passes through toward the radial direction, isformed in the outer race of the upper bearing 41. Therefore, grease inthe outer circumferential flow path 72 a of the upper bearing 41 issupplied to the inside (between the outer race and the inner race) ofthe upper bearing 41 via the plurality of through-holes 41 a, and it ispossible to maintain smooth rotation of the rolling element (ball).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, an outer circumferential flowpath 82 a of the lower bearing 42 is formed in the member which composesthe lower bearing supporting member 54, and the outer circumferentialflow path 82 a of the lower bearing 42 forms a portion of the secondlower flow path 82 and is provided at the outer circumference side ofthe lower bearing 42. Since the configurations of the outercircumferential flow path 82 a of the lower bearing 42 and the lowerbearing 42 are the same as the configurations of the outercircumferential flow path 72 a of the upper bearing 41 and the upperbearing 41, descriptions thereof are omitted.

Since grease is supplied to the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing42, it is possible to maintain smooth rotation of the rotary shaft 3.

In addition, the lower bearing supporting member 54 is provided with acircular flow path 82 b which forms a portion of the second lower flowpath 82 and is circularly provided around the rotational axis of therotary shaft 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the circular flow path 82 b is agroove-shaped flow path which is provided on a lower surface of thelower bearing supporting member 54. The circular flow path 82 b isformed at a position which is opposite to the opening of the first lowerflow path 81 at the recess 56 a (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Further, since thecircular flow path 82 b is formed around the rotational axis of therotary shaft 3, it is possible to secure the communication between thefirst lower flow path 81 and the second lower flow path 82 even when thelower bearing supporting member 54 is positioned in any direction whilerotating around the rotational axis.

Referring to FIG. 3, the upper bearing supporting member 53 includes thegrease receiving saucer 57 (a grease storing portion). The greasereceiving saucer 57 stores the grease discharged from the upper bearing41. As shown FIGS. 6A and 6B, the grease receiving saucer 57 is formedas a disk-shaped member. An opening 57 a for passing through the rotaryshaft 3 is formed in a center portion of the grease receiving saucer 57.

A storing portion 57 b in which the grease discharged from the upperbearing 41 is stored is formed in the periphery of the opening 57 a. Thestoring portion 57 b is circularly formed so as to enclose the opening57 a.

A plurality of through-holes 57 c, which passes through in the thicknessdirection of the plate of the grease receiving saucer 57, is formed inthe vicinity of the circumferential portion of the grease receivingsaucer 57. The plurality of through-holes 57 c is holes which areemployed so as to detachably install the grease receiving saucer 57 tothe upper bearing supporting member 53 by the fastening bolt or thelike.

In addition, referring to FIG. 3, a space 54 a of the lower bearingsupporting member 54 is a storing portion for storing the greasedischarged from the lower bearing 42.

Subsequently, an operation of the turbo blower S1 according to thisembodiment will be described.

In order to pump gas by rotating the impeller 1, the motor 2 rotates therotary shaft 3 at high speed (for example, several tens of thousands ofrpm). Therefore, the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42 arerotated at high speed, and the grease supplied to the bearings isagitated. Further, due to a flow loss in the impeller 1 or the operationof the motor 2, heat is generated. The heat is transmitted to the upperbearing 41 and the lower bearing 42, and the temperature of the greasesupplied to the bearings is increased.

Due to influences of the agitation or heat by the rotation, there is apossibility that grease is changed in properties and deteriorated andlubricant oil serving as oil base is depleted. If lubricant oil of thegrease is depleted, there is a possibility that seizure of the upperbearing 41 and the lower bearing 42 occurs.

However, in the turbo blower S1 according to this embodiment, the greasesupply device 6 is provided, and the upper grease flow path 7 and thelower grease flow path 8 are formed so as to supply grease to the upperbearing 41 and the lower bearing 42. Therefore, a constant amount ofgrease can be supplied to the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42at regular intervals, and smooth rotation of the upper bearing 41 andthe lower bearing 42 can be maintained while preventing disadvantagessuch as seizure.

In addition, at the time of manufacture or maintenance of the turboblower S1, an assembly operation is performed in which the impeller 1,the motor 2, the rotary shaft 3, the upper bearing 41, the lower bearing42, the casing 5, or the like are assembled. At this time, when thesupply tube, or the like for supplying grease to the upper bearing 41and the lower bearing 42 is provided in the casing 5, an operation fordisposing and connecting the supply tube is needed, and there is apossibility that assembly labor of the turbo blower S1 is increased.However, according to this embodiment, the upper grease flow path 7 andthe lower grease flow path 8 for supplying grease to the upper bearing41 and the lower bearing 42 are formed in the member which composes thecasing 5. Therefore, in the assembly operation of the turbo blower S1, acertain amount of grease is filled in the upper grease flow path 7 andthe lower grease flow path 8 which are formed in the casing 5, therotary shaft 3, the upper bearing 41, the lower bearing 42, or the likeare sequentially installed to the casing 5, and the assembly operationof the turbo blower S1 is completed. That is, an operation for disposingand connecting the supply tube, which is needed in the related art, isnot necessary. As a result, assembly labor at the time of manufacture ormaintenance of the turbo blower S1 can be reduced.

In addition, since both the upper bearing supporting member 53 and thelower bearing supporting member 54 are elements for configuring themodule 9, the upper grease flow path 7 and the lower grease flow path 8are formed by installing the module 9 in the casing body 52.

Moreover, the direction in which the first upper flow path 71communicates with the second upper flow path 72 is the same as thedirection in which the upper bearing supporting member 53 is attached toand detached from the casing body 52. Therefore, simply by installingthe upper bearing supporting member 53 to the casing body 52, the firstupper flow path 71 communicates with the second upper flow path 72, andthe upper grease flow path 7 is formed. Further, when the seal member,which is provided to enclose the communication place of the first upperflow path 71 and the second upper flow path 72, is disposed, byinstalling the upper bearing supporting member 53 in the motor casing 55of the casing body 52, the seal member is sandwiched between the upperbearing supporting member 53 and the motor casing 55. Therefore, throughthe seal member, the communication place of the first upper flow path 71and the second upper flow path 72 can be appropriately sealed, and it ispossible to prevent leakage of grease in the communication place.

In addition, the direction in which the first lower flow path 81communicates with the second lower flow path 82 is the same as thedirection in which the lower bearing supporting member 54 is attached toand detached from the casing body 52. Therefore, simply by installingthe lower bearing supporting member 54 to the casing body 52, the firstlower flow path 81 communicates with the second lower flow path 82, andthe lower grease flow path 8 is formed. Further, when the seal member,which is provided to enclose the communication place of the first lowerflow path 81 and the second lower flow path 82, is disposed, byinstalling the lower bearing supporting member 54 in the base plate 56of the casing body 52, the seal member is sandwiched between the lowerbearing supporting member 54 and the base plate 56. Therefore, throughthe seal member, the communication place of the first lower flow path 81and the second lower flow path 82 can be appropriately sealed, and it ispossible to prevent leakage of grease in the communication place.

Here, an operation at the time of assembly and maintenance of the turboblower S1 will be described.

At the time of assembly of the turbo blower S1, first, the module 9 isassembled from the impeller 1, the rotor 21, the rotary shaft 3, theupper bearing 41, the lower bearing 42, the upper bearing supportingmember 53 and the lower bearing supporting member 54. Further, both ofthe second upper flow path 72 of the upper bearing supporting member 53and the second lower flow path 82 of the lower bearing supporting member54 are filled with grease.

In addition, the casing body 52 is assembled from the motor casing 55and the base plate 56, and the stator 22, or the like is attached to thecasing body 52. Both of the first upper flow path 71 and the first lowerflow path 81 formed in the casing body 52 are filled with grease.

Next, the module 9 is attached to the casing body 52. By simplyattaching the module 9 to the inside of the casing body 52, the uppergrease flow path 7 is formed from the first upper flow path 71 and thesecond upper flow path 72, and the lower grease flow path 8 is formedfrom the first lower flow path 81 and the second lower flow path 82.That is, the upper bearing supporting member 53, the impeller 1 and therotor 21 are attached to the rotary shaft 3, and in this state the uppergrease flow path 7 can be assembled. Further, the lower bearingsupporting member 54, the impeller 1 and the rotor 21 are attached tothe rotary shaft 3, and in this state the lower grease flow path 8 canbe assembled. By simply fixing the upper bearing supporting member 53 tothe casing body 52 by using the fastening bolt or the like, theoperation for attaching the module 9 to the casing body 52 is completed.

Finally, the scroll casing 51 is attached to the casing body 52. Asdescribed above, the assembly operation of the turbo blower S1 iscompleted.

According to this embodiment, the operation for disposing the supplytube of grease, or the like, which is needed in the related art, is notnecessary. Therefore, the turbo blower S1 can be easily assembled, andworking property of the assembly can be improved.

At the time of maintenance of the turbo blower S1, first, the fasteningbolt, or the like which fixes the upper bearing supporting member 53 andthe casing body 52 is detached, and the module 9 is taken out from thecasing body 52. By simply taking out the module 9 from the casing body52, the upper grease path way 7 is disassembled into the first upperflow path 71 and the second upper flow path 72, and the lower greaseflow path 8 is disassembled into the first lower flow path 81 and thesecond lower flow path 82. That is, the upper bearing supporting member53, the impeller 1 and the rotor 21 are attached to the rotary shaft 3,and in this state the upper grease flow path 7 can be disassembled.Further, the lower bearing supporting member 54, the impeller 1 and therotor 21 are attached to the rotary shaft, and in this state the lowergrease flow path 8 can be assembled.

After the maintenance of the turbo blower S1 is performed (the removalof the discharged grease, or the like), by again attaching the module 9to the casing body 52, the maintenance of the turbo blower S1 iscompleted.

According to this embodiment, the operation for attaching and detachingthe supply tube of the grease, or the like, which is needed in therelated art, is not necessary. Therefore, the maintenance of the turboblower S1 can be easily performed, and working property of themaintenance can be improved.

In addition, at the maintenance of the turbo blower S1, after the module9 is taken out from the casing body 52, another module 9 other than themodule 9 taken out may be attached to the casing body 52. Before a startof the maintenance of the turbo blower S1, assembling of another module9 and filling of grease to the second upper flow path 72 and the secondlower flow path 82 are completed. By replacing the module 9 taken outwith another module 9, without waiting for completion of the maintenanceof the module 9 taken out, the turbo blower S1 can be assembled again byusing another module 9. Therefore, the stop period of the turbo blowerS1 for maintenance can be shortened, and the operation of the turboblower S1 can be immediately resumed.

In addition, the circular flow path 82 b is formed in the member whichcomposes the lower bearing supporting member 54.

In a state where the scroll casing 51 is separated from the casing body52, the installation position or the posture of the upper bearingsupporting member 53 can be identified from the outside. Further, apositioning member for aligning the position between the upper bearingsupporting member 53 and the casing body 52 (a motor casing 55) is usedin some cases. Therefore, communication of the first upper flow path 71with the second upper flow path 72 is easily performed. On the otherhand, since the lower bearing supporting member 54 is disposed in thecasing body 52, it is difficult to identify the posture of the lowerbearing supporting member 54 from the outside.

In this embodiment, since the circular flow path 82 b is formed, thecommunication of the first lower flow path 81 and the second lower flowpath 82 can be secured even though the lower bearing supporting member54 is disposed in any direction where the lower bearing supportingmember 54 is rotated around the rotational axis of the rotary shaft 3.Therefore, the labor for communicating the first lower flow path 81 andthe second lower flow path 82 can be reduced.

In addition, the grease receiving saucer 57 is provided at the upperbearing supporting member 53, and the space 54 a is formed in the lowerbearing supporting member 54.

Both of the grease receiving saucer 57 and the space 54 a are employedas the storing portion for storing the discharged grease. Therefore,contamination of the inside of the casing 5 by the discharged grease canbe prevented. Further, the grease receiving saucer 57 is provided at theupper bearing supporting member 53, and the space 54 a is formed in theinside of the lower bearing supporting member 54. Therefore, the module9 is separated from the casing body 52 at the time of maintenance of theturbo blower S1, and it is possible to remove and clean the greasestored in the grease receiving saucer 57 and the space 54 a.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the assembly operation ofthe turbo blower S1, the operation of disposing and connecting thesupply tube for supplying grease is not needed in the casing 5. For thisreason, according to this embodiment, the assembly labor can be reducedat the time of manufacture or maintenance of the turbo blower S1.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view showing a schematic configuration of theturbo blower S2 according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. In addition, in FIG. 7, the same components as those of thefirst embodiment described in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same referencenumbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

In the casing 5 of the turbo blower S2, the upper grease flow path 7 isformed for supplying grease to the upper bearing 41. On the other hand,a grease flow path for supplying grease to the lower bearing 42 is notformed. Grease is supplied to the lower bearing 42 only at the time ofmanufacture and maintenance of the turbo blower S2, and the grease isnot supplied to the lower bearing 42 during the use of the turbo blowerS2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the syringe 61 provided in the greasesupply device 6A is single.

Heat generated due to the operation of the motor 2 is transmitted toboth the upper bearing 41 and the lower bearing 42. On the other hand,heat generated due to the flow loss of gas in the impeller 1 istransmitted to the upper bearing 41 provided at the vicinity of theimpeller 1, but the heat is not transmitted in a positive manner to thelower bearing 42 provided at the end portion opposite to the impeller 1of the rotary shaft 3. Therefore, the temperature of the lower bearing42 is lower than that of the upper bearing 41.

Due to temperature difference between the upper bearing 41 and the lowerbearing 42, consumption of the grease supplied to the lower bearing 42is more suppressed than that supplied to the upper bearing 41.Therefore, according to the operation conditions (for example, thenumber of rotations of the rotary shaft 3) of the turbo blower S2,simply by supplying grease initially, there is a possibility that itwill not be necessary to supply grease to the lower bearing 42 duringuse.

According to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to supply greaseto the lower bearing 42 during use based on the above-describedknowledge, the grease flow path or the grease supply device forsupplying grease to the lower bearing 42 can be omitted. Therefore, thecosts of the turbo blower S2 can be reduced.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedand illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplaryof the present invention and are not to be considered as limiting.Additions, omissions, substitutions and other modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the present invention is not to be considered as beinglimited by the foregoing description, and is only limited by the scopeof the appended claims.

1. A turbo machine comprising: an impeller that rotates to make gas flow; a driving device that rotationally drives the impeller; a rotary shaft that transmits a rotational driving force of the driving device to the impeller; a bearing that rotatably supports the rotary shaft; and a casing that houses at least the driving device and the rotary shaft, wherein the casing is provided with a grease flow path to supply grease to the bearing for lubricating the bearing.
 2. The turbo machine according to claim 1, wherein the casing includes a casing body that houses at least the driving device and the rotary shaft, and a bearing supporting member that is detachably installed in the casing body and supports the bearing, the casing body is provided with a first flow path that forms a portion of the grease flow path, and the bearing supporting member is provided with a second flow path that forms a portion of the grease flow path and communicates with the first flow path.
 3. The turbo machine according to claim 2, wherein a direction in which the first flow path and the second flow path communicate with each other is the same as a direction in which the bearing supporting member is attached and detached.
 4. The turbo machine according to claim 2, wherein the bearing supporting member is provided with a circular flow path that is circularly disposed around the rotational axis of the rotary shaft, and the circular flow path forms a portion of the second flow path and is disposed so as to communicate with the first flow path.
 5. The turbo machine according to claim 3, wherein the bearing supporting member is provided with a circular flow path that is circularly disposed around the rotational axis of the rotary shaft, and the circular flow path forms a portion of the second flow path and is disposed so as to communicate with the first flow path.
 6. The turbo machine according to claim 2, wherein the bearing supporting member includes a grease storing portion for storing grease which is discharged from the bearing.
 7. The turbo machine according to claim 3, wherein the bearing supporting member includes a grease storing portion for storing grease which is discharged from the bearing.
 8. The turbo machine according to claim 4, wherein the bearing supporting member includes a grease storing portion for storing grease which is discharged from the bearing. 